Thursday, June 18, 2015

Rocks and other hard things

As I drove over to my daughter's house this morning to take care of two of our grand babies, I had no idea of what I would face today. But as I wove along the country roads, I thought about one of the passages I read earlier this morning, and part of a verse that really stood out to me.

...and with the stones
he built an altar
in the name of the LORD.

1 Kings 18. 32

No matter what I am appointed this day
I can worship the LORD in it.

It is not significant what I do
with the big rocks
and the broken pieces.of life but how God uses them.

Two guarantees I can offer:
1. There will be hard stuff,
sometimes really really hard stuff.
2. And God is both faithful and creative.

What can He do with this?

Even in what appears irrelevant,
irritating,
and doesn't fit by any sense of my imagination,
God redeems.

Propped against the back splash by my daughter's kitchen sink is a small wooden plaque
inscribed with Psalm 118. 1:

Not because things are going well,
or life is easy and comfortable,
not just when the dishes are done,
the house is clean
and the children behave,
not just on the "good days," but because He is good.

Give thanks to the LORD
even in this mess,
even through this pain.
God enlarges our vision to see past what is hard
to fulfill His purposes.

Don't just lay the difficulties before the LORD,make an altar out of them to worship God.

Worship with those big rocks in every shape and form
and give thanks to the LORD
because praise is the glue
that holds those stones together.